Track Santa as he journeys across the globe

HO, HO, HURRY UP: An illustration of Santa Claus is seen on the NORAD tracker early Christmas Eve as he works his way up the West Australian coast. | Screenshot of NORAD Santa Tracker

By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com

By the time The Arkadelphian checked on Santa’s global trek on Christmas Eve, he had already left the North Pole and had delivered more than 1 billion gifts across China.

It’s thanks to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, that Santa Claus is tracked as he trots the globe in his reindeer-driven sleigh.

LIVE SANTA TRACKER: https://www.noradsanta.org/en/map

When will he make it to Clark County, Arkansas? NORAD predicts he’ll be in South Arkansas sometime between 9 p.m. and midnight on Christmas Eve, although to children’s dismay the tracker is not able to predict precisely when he’ll stop at any particular address. What we do know is that he’s on the move, so get those cookies baked before bed time.

Press reports in the U.S. indicated that Santa first traveled down the International Date Line down the Pacific Ocean and was working his way west from there. At the time of this writing on the morning of Christmas Eve, he had already been to Australia and the South Pacific islands.

Local kids will be beyond excited in anticipation of Santa’s visit to their homes, but they can rest assured that local officials will be keeping a watchful eye on the sky tonight. Tate Chanler, director of the Clark County Office of Emergency Management, said in a phone interview that he will be tracking Santa during the nighttime hours to make sure that Santa has made his rounds in Arkadelphia, Gurdon, Caddo Valley, Amity and all the communities within Clark County. Chanler added that he will stay on duty until Claus has finished his local rounds.

That’s because Chanler is among the countless uniformed personnel of the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center who answers phone calls on Christmas Eve and gives updates on Santa’s location. While he’ll likely be on the phone with other callers throughout the night, other call center operators will be available to give live updates — call 877-HI-NORAD (877-446-6723) until midnight to speak with an operator.

“I can’t say exactly when Santa will be here in Clark County or when he’ll be at your house,” Chanler said, “but I do know from history that he only arrives when children are fast asleep!”

CLICK HERE to track Santa using NORAD’s online tracking system.